9/25 Obama reserve, JeffCo restoration, BC fish farm, Chlliwack mess, BC tanker, & pipes, Endridge, BC tribes

(Jim Maragos/AP, Washington Post)

Obama to create world’s largest protected marine reserve in Pacific Ocean
President Obama will use his legal authority Thursday to create the world’s largest fully protected marine reserve in the central Pacific Ocean, demonstrating his increased willingness to advance a conservation agenda without the need for congressional approval. By broadening the existing Pacific Remote Islands National Marine Monument from almost 87,000 square miles to more than 490,000 square miles, Obama has protected more acres of federal land and sea by executive power than any other president in at least 50 years and makes the area off-limits to commercial fishing. By Juliet Eilperin reports. (Washington Post)

Bridge to replace culverts between Indian, Marrowstone islands
A bridge would be installed to replace road fill and twin culverts on the highway connecting Indian Island and Marrowstone Island, part of a $24.8 million boost to salmon recovery projects in Puget Sound. The "restoring Kilisut Harbor" project is one of four Salmon Recovery Board and Puget Sound Partnership projects set in Jefferson County, according to a press release from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. (Port Townsend Leader) See also: Saltmarsh, shoreline habitat restored along Tarboo Bay  (Port Townsend Leader)

B.C. salmon farmers pledge to meet new global standard
Fewer than one in 20 of the world’s salmon farms have achieved Aquaculture Stewardship Council environmental certification, but B.C.’s salmon aquaculture companies have committed to 100-per-cent certification in this region by 2020. “The members of the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association want to achieve the gold standard in certification,” said Jeremy Dunn, executive director of the association. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Sockeye fishing mess creates need for Chilliwack river cleanups
An extremely busy recreational fishery for sockeye in Chilliwack this summer means lots of extra garbage is littering the riverbanks right now. In response, river stewards in Chilliwack are gearing up for two big cleanups, Sept. 27 on the Fraser River and Sept. 28 on Chilliwack-Vedder River system. The Fraser Valley Salmon Society recognized there has been a larger than normal influx of visitors to the fishing spots, hence the need for a special cleanup. Jennifer Feinberg reports. (Chlliwack Progress)

NDP Bill Would Ban Tankers off BC's North Coast
Banning supertankers from the North Coast of British Columbia is one way to avoid potential conflict or environmental hazards related to the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, says a New Democrat MP from the province. Finance critic Nathan Cullen tabled a private member's bill Tuesday that if passed would not only ban oil tankers from the province's North Coast, but also force a more thorough consultation with communities to be impacted by such projects in the future. Jeremy J. Nuttall reports. (TheTyee) See also: Cross-border Indigenous Treaty Takes on Kinder Morgan Pipeline  David P. Ball reports. (TheTyee)

Recreational boats spills more likely to pollute B.C. waters than tankers
Proposed new oil pipelines have heightened concerns about major spills from increased tanker traffic on the West Coast, but a new study has found that fleets of leaking recreational boats and other small vessels are more likely to foul B.C. waters. Stefania Bertazzon, a University of Calgary researcher, worked with several federal government departments and the University of Victoria in putting together what is thought to be the first study of its kind in the world. Mark Hume reports. (Globe and Mail)

Mayor, port authority say no room for Northern Gateway pipeline in Prince Rupert
Alberta Premier Jim Prentice wants Enbridge Inc. to reroute the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, but the coastal community that is touted as the obvious alternative to locate the marine terminal is no longer rolling out the welcome mat. Prince Rupert’s Mayor Jack Mussallem said residents in his resource-dependent community don’t want to play a role in getting Alberta oil products to Asia. Justine Hunter and Ian Bailey report. (Globe and Mail)

Site C or LNG: pick one, say B.C. First Nations
Several B.C. First Nations are in Ottawa today to offer the federal government an ultimatum — it can have the Site C dam or liquefied-natural-gas development, but not both. Chief Roland Willson of the West Moberly First Nation says an 1899 treaty gives his community title to land in the Peace River valley that's crucial to both projects. He says a recent decision from the Supreme Court of Canada has bolstered his First Nations' say on any industrial development on that land. (CBC)

Now, your tug weatrher--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 PM PDT WED SEP 24 2014
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON
THU
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 9 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE MORNING...THEN SHOWERS
 LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON.
THU NIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE EVENING...THEN A CHANCE
 OF SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

6/23 Elliott Norse, Vic sewer, BC pipe, seastar wasting, climate change, Mukilteo beach

PHOTO: Laurie MacBride

Windswept on the Edge of the Strait
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "The Strait of Georgia is a windy stretch of water, as you can see by the angle of these trees even on a calm day. Their home is an exposed little islet in the Flat Tops, an island chain just south of Gabriola Island, on the western edge of the Strait. The Strait – or “the Gulf”, as mariners have traditionally called it – is not a body of water to take lightly...."

Redmond man behind scenes in push for ocean protections
Elliott Norse, a marine biologist and former official in the Carter White House, was a key force behind the Obama administration’s announcement last week that it plans to preserve more of the south-central Pacific Ocean.... In recent weeks, Norse — founder of a small Northwest nonprofit called the Marine Conservation Institute — helped get more than 350 top ocean scientists to sign a letter urging President Obama to protect more of the sea from fishing and development...  Craig Welch reports. (Seattle Times)

Time to challenge federal government on sewage: group
Rather than trying to push ahead with expensive sewage treatment, the Capital Regional District should challenge the federal government’s “high risk” classification of Greater Victoria’s sewage system, says a local lobby group. The federal government has classified the CRD’s practice of pumping raw, screened sewage through long, deep-water outfalls as high risk even though CRD’s monitoring data proves otherwise, said Brian Burchill, chairman of the Association for Responsible and Environmentally Sustainable Sewage Treatment or ARESST.... ARESST has long argued that deep-water outfalls into the frigid, fast-moving waters acts as a type of natural sewage treatment. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist) See also: Health warning issued for Beaver Lake, Cordova Bay swimming areas  Sarah Petrescu reports. (Times Colonist) See also: ‘Astounding’ tax hit for Victoria area lurks in sewage mess Bill Cleverely reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Bellingham wastewater treatment plant dedication set for Tuesday
The public is invited to celebrate the completed expansion of the Post Point Wastewater Treatment Plant at a dedication ceremony at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 24. After a ribbon cutting, cake will be served and public officials and project staff will lead tours of the new facilities, as well as explain the treatment process. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

B.C. oil pipeline: A threat to the whole Northwest?
With the assist of a friendly Conservative government in Canada, Big Energy wins a skirmish. How will it affect the larger battle over coal and oil exports? Floyd McKay reports. (Crosscut)

Peninsula volunteers pitching in on sea star wasting disease research
The efforts of volunteers across the North Olympic Peninsula have been vital in recent months as scientists work to uncover the secrets of a mysterious affliction eating its way through sea star populations up and down the West Coast. “Citizen scientists” have braved slippery rocks along the northern coasts of Clallam and Jefferson counties to seek signs of the disease, called sea star wasting syndrome, in the multi-armed creatures that live on the craggy shorelines. Jeremy Schwartz reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Conservation District adds climate change to goals
For the first time, the Skagit Conservation District is including climate change in its annual goals, which the organization sets for its July-to-June fiscal year. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

New Mukilteo beach access trail opens today
A trail providing public access to a park and beach with views of Whidbey Island and Possession Sound opens today in Mukilteo. The gravel trail begins near Sound Transit's Mukilteo station at 920 First St. and continues for about a quarter of a mile, leading to Edgewater Beach. The park will be open from dawn to dusk. The trail will provide interim access to the one-acre park, which is owned by the Port of Everett. Sharon Salyer reports. (Everett Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON JUN 23 2014
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING NW 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF
 SHOWERS...THEN SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

10/8 Invasive mussel, bag ban, LNG tax, Mukilteo shore, BC shipyard, Vic sewer, octopus havens, GMO vote, Longview coal

Dying starfish (Vancouver Aquarium)

An invasive species of mussel has arrived in British Columbia, carried over by a boat that appears to have been pushed across the Pacific Ocean by the massive Japanese tsunami of 2011. The six-metre boat, which washed up on Vancouver Island's Long Beach on Sunday, appears to have faded Japanese writing on the hull and is encrusted with Mediterranean mussels and large pelagic barnacles. John Chapman, an invasive species biologist who studies tsunami debris at Oregon State University, said the mussels could threaten the local B.C. habitat. Invasive mussels land on B.C. coast with Japan tsunami boat    Meanwhile: Vancouver Aquarium 'alarmed' at mass die-off of starfish on B.C. ocean floor

Olympia is poised to become the third jurisdiction in Thurston County to ban thin, grocery-style plastic bags. The Olympia City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed ban at its meeting Tuesday, which starts at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 601 Fourth Ave. E. If approved, the prohibition would take effect in July, along with bans recently approved in Tumwater and unincorporated Thurston County. Matt Batcheldor reports. Hearing set for Tuesday on bag ban for Olympia

Orca Watcher Monika Wieland blogs on her Saturday trip seeing transient orcas and a wealth of other cetaceans and marine critters in the San Juans. Whales Everywhere! In October!

The B.C. government will reveal next month its export-tax rates for the multibillion-dollar liquefied natural gas sector and the minster in charge of LNG is promising the plan will hit a “sweet spot” between the interests of the province and the industry. While Premier Christy Clark has said a plan was close, Rich Coleman offered the more specific timeline Monday while announcing a trip to South Korea, China and Malaysia to promote the development of B.C.’s LNG sector. The tax would specify the price energy companies will pay to export natural gas. Ian Bailey and Justine Hunter report. B.C. plan for LNG aims to hit 'sweet spot' between province and industry interests  

The future appears to be finally taking shape for a half mile of Mukilteo coastline that lay dormant for decades. Ownership of the former Air Force tank farm on Mukilteo's north-facing waterfront, between the business district and the Everett city limits, was transferred last month. The Port of Everett formally accepted the land from the Air Force on Sept. 10 and now owns most of the 22 acres. The port plans to transfer much of it to the state, the city of Mukilteo and possibly to Sound Transit for public use. The most well-known plans for the property involve construction of a new $140 million ferry terminal to replace the current aging dock located in the business district.  Bill Sheets reports. Land transfer to transform Mukilteo tank farm's future

A $3.3-billion federal contract awarded to Vancouver Shipyards Monday will have as many as 1,000 skilled workers rushing to fill an order for ten new non-combat ships for the Canadian Coast Guard. The project is in addition to seven non-combat vessels that the company is already slated to build after it was awarded an $8-billion deal by the federal shipbuilding procurement project in 2011. Work is yet to start on any of those vessels. The deal is expected to create numerous jobs in the skilled trades — at wages of more than $40 an hour — including welding, pipe fitting, electrical and mechanical. Kevin Griffin and Matthew Robinson report. $3.3-billion contract for Coast Guard ships will bring up to 1,000 jobs to Vancouver Shipyards  

Greater Victoria’s contentious sewage treatment project was rebranded the “Seaterra Program” Monday by a civilian commission of experts that’s taken day-to-day decision-making away from local politicians. The new name and logo for the long-running and divisive $783-million megaproject came amid a publicity blitz by the new program director, Albert Sweetnam. Rob Shaw reports. Greater Victoria's contentious sewage project rebrands itself with $15,000 image makeover  

Washington Conservation Voters awarded state Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, its highest honor by naming him the 2013 “Legislator of the Year.” Ranker was bestowed the award for his leadership during and following the 2013 Legislative Session. Ranker earns environmental group's top award

In hopes of adding to America’s lack of knowledge of public affairs, Peter Callaghan asks 30 questions but provide absolutely zero answers.  Not all questions come with answers (Well, at least not these ones)

When a 19-year-old man lured a giant Pacific octopus from its lair off Alki Beach in West Seattle last year – legally, it turned out – a small group of activists were aghast that the charismatic cephalopod wasn’t protected. They lobbied the state for more protections for the octopus, and triumphed when the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted rules to prohibit recreational octopus harvesting at seven popular dive spots in the Puget Sound region. The law went into effect on Sunday. Meghan Walker reports. Octopuses’ Gardens: WA Designates 7 No-Hunt Spots

GMO foods are again on the hot seat on the West coast. Last year California’s Prop 37 to label genetically modified organisms at the grocery store was narrowly defeated, 51 to 49%. This year in Washington the issue is giving rise to conflicting claims and a record $21.9 million flooding the state, with over $17 million coming from opponents led by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Monsanto and Dow and the remainder from proponents led by Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, the Organic Consumers Fund and Mercola Health Resources. Martha Baskin reports. Should GMO Foods Be Labeled? Industry & Public Showdown as State Prepares to Answer the Big Question  

The public can comment at an Oct. 9 meeting in Ridgefield in Clark County on the scope of environmental impact statements for a proposed coal export terminal near Longview. Cowlitz County, the Washington Department of Ecology and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will create two EISs - one meeting federal requirements and one meeting state requirements. The meetings will be held from noon to 8 p.m. at the Clark County Fairgrounds Event Center, 17402 N.E. Delfel Road, Ridgefield.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE OCT 8 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING
TODAY
NW WIND 20 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 15 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
 SHOWERS LIKELY.
TONIGHT
N WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...THEN LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

8/5 Lummi coal, octopus ban, BC quake, Luna, orca ESA, orca enforcer, Port Angeles pier, feral rabbits, ocean fracking, Irish fish farms

Luna (Debra Brash/Times-Colonist)

New blog: "A few weeks ago our loyal and good friend Joe Spike the Dog was suffering in his infirmities too much and I made the hard decision to say good-bye and having him euthanized. Losing a good animal friend might have made me a bit more sensitive to animal news and encounters these last few weeks— and made me reflect on how we humans stand in relation to animals and to the wild..." Animals as Friends, Animals as Wild Creatures

In a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lummi Nation Chairman Tim Ballew says the tribe "has unconditional and unequivocal opposition" to the Gateway Pacific Terminal coal export pier that SSA Marine hopes to build at Cherry Point. The letter is the 5,000-member tribe's formal effort to exercise its treaty right power to block developments that pose a threat to tribal fisheries. In the past, the Army Corps has acknowledged that power and has refused to process permits for projects if tribal objections cannot be resolved. John Stark reports. Lummi Nation sees no compromise on Gateway Pacific

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission unanimously decided (Friday) to ban  giant Pacific octopus hunting across seven popular scuba sites in the Puget Sound. Nick Provenza reports. Washington commission restricts octopus hunting

A "moderate" quake shook the northern end of Vancouver Island early Sunday morning, waking many people in their beds as windows rattled and blinds swayed from the tremors. Earthquakes Canada said the 5.5 magnitude quake hit at about 6:20 a.m. local time about 25 kilometres west of Nootka Island, off the north coast of Vancouver Island. There were no reports of any damage or injuries, and no tsunami was expected. Earthquake rattles northern Vancouver Island, no injuries reported

...The release this summer of (Mike) Parfit and (Suzanne) Chisholm’s book, The Lost Whale: The True Story of an Orca Named Luna, may be the last chapter of the couple’s involvement with the young killer whale that turned up alone in Nootka Sound seeking human contact. But Parfit and Chisholm’s time with Luna changed their lives forever — and they believe others were similarly affected during the controversy-ridden years the whale spent in Nootka Sound. The book, like Parfit and Chisholm’s award-winning documentary films, Saving Luna and The Whale — narrated by Ryan Reynolds and executive produced by Reynolds and his then-wife, Scarlett Johansson — does not answer the many questions that were raised by Luna’s short life, which ended in March 2006. Instead, Parfit said, the central theme is empathy. Judith Lavoie reports. Luna’s legacy of love and loss  

Killer whales that spend their summers in Puget Sound are a distinct population group and will remain protected under the Endangered Species Act, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Friday. NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service spent a year reviewing a petition to delist the orcas. The petition was brought by the Sacramento-based Pacific Legal Foundation on behalf of California farmers who faced water restrictions to protect salmon the orcas eat. They argued the Puget Sound orcas were part of a larger north Pacific population and didn’t qualify for the 2005 endangered species listing. But NOAA spokesman Brian Gorman said those arguments were rejected. Doug Esser reports. Puget Sound orcas versus California farmers: Whales win    Read also: Orcas still ‘endangered’ as next steps contemplated  

Washington state is getting a new officer — one who will protect and serve killer whales. Federal funds will allow the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department to hire an officer to enforce laws protecting Puget Sound orcas.
The National Marine Fisheries Service says the department will use the $925,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to hire the enforcement officer for three years. Washington state to hire official to enforce orca protection laws

Rachel Benbrook writes: “The Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association and the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group are now accepting applications for a comprehensive training program.  The Citizen Action Training School, or CATS, includes 12 weeks of class and field instruction on local watershed and Puget Sound ecology, as well as guidance about civic engagement around natural resources issues.  CATS is being offered throughout the region with the first sessions in Bellingham and South Sound starting mid-September.  For more info or to apply, go here  or email here.  Applications are due August 14th so get yours in soon for this comprehensive training program on local and regional Puget Sound recovery efforts!”

A 1,160-foot dock that has anchored Port of Port Angeles marine operations for 87 years is due to become more environmentally friendly. It's part of a $3 million project jointly funded by the federal government and the port in which toxic creosote piles will be replaced and the pier strengthened. Port officials received notice last week that they obtained preliminary approval for a $1.5 million U.S. Economic Development Agency, or EDA, investment assistance grant to redevelop the giant pier, known as Terminal 1. Paul Gottlieb reports. Port Angeles pier in line for $1.5 million grant

A local rescue organization says its efforts to help a colony of feral rabbits live hoppily ever after have been handcuffed by government red tape. Fifty of the furry creatures have been stranded in a spare garage at the Richmond Auto Mall, while officials with the province’s fish and wildlife branch determine whether they can issue permits for their transfer to safe harbour in B.C.  Richmond rabbit rescue runs aground on shoal of ‘red tape’  

Companies prospecting for oil off California's coast have used hydraulic fracturing on at least a dozen occasions to force open cracks beneath the seabed, and now regulators are investigating whether the practice should require a separate permit and be subject to stricter environmental review. While debate has raged over fracking on land, prompting efforts to ban or restrict it, offshore fracking has occurred with little attention in sensitive coastal waters where for decades new oil leases have been prohibited. Hundreds of pages of federal documents released by the government to The Associated Press and advocacy groups through the Freedom of Information Act show regulators have permitted fracking in the Pacific Ocean at least 12 times since the late 1990s, and have recently approved a new project. Alicia Chang and Jason Dearen report. Offshore fracking draws less attention than on land

The Aran Islands shield Galway Bay from the wild Atlantic beyond - a key reason its waters have been chosen as the proposed site for the country's biggest salmon farm by the sea fisheries state agency (BIM).The plan to double the farmed-salmon output of 15,000 tonnes a year pits those who say it is an under-developed resource badly needed in recession against those arguing it threatens the environment and wild salmon and sea trout stocks. Out on Inis Oirr island, the Irish-speaking community of fewer than 300 relies mostly on fishing and tourism. Bilingual posters oppose the farm. Background music to breakfast is a new protest CD against the scheme. Diarmaid Fleming reports. Irish battle over plans for Aran giant salmon farm

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 858 PM PDT SUN AUG 4 2013
MON
SW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING W 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 3 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS. AREAS OF DENSE FOG IN THE MORNING.
MON NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS. PATCHY DENSE FOG.
--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

1/21 Partnership, dead whale, marine area protection, wind storm, BC coal port, coal trains, Victoria sewage, rising seas, martens, orca tags

In celebration of service, opportunity and responsibility: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

New blog: "Puget Sound Partnership Executive Director Tony Wright took the helm of the agency charged with restoring the Sound to health late last July and yesterday sent a letter to us announcing his return to the private sector...." Whither Puget Sound Partnership, Whither Puget Sound? 


Six months into the job, Anthony "Tony" Wright is planning to leave his post as executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership and return to work at a private consulting firm.... After announcing his resignation, Wright says people are demanding to know the "real reason" he is leaving. "Nobody is asking me to leave, and I'm not angry at anybody," he said.... Inslee spokesman David Postman said the recruiting of director candidates started about two weeks ago. Interviews could begin as early as next week, he added, and the Leadership Council will play an integral role in the selection. Chris Dunagan reports. Director leaving Puget Sound Partnership after brief tenure

The State of Washington Joint Legislative Audit & Review Committee (JLARC) briefing report on PSP’S (the Puget Sound Partnership) 2012 Action Agenda Update finds that “Revised Approach Continues to Lack Key Accountability Tools Envisioned in Statute” January 23, 2013.  Specifically in three areas: 1) The Action Agenda Does Not Link Actions to the Amount of Progress They Will Make Towards the Long-Term Restoration Goals Established by the Legislature; 2) Actions are Not Prioritized to Meet Long-Term Restoration Goals; 3)Monitoring Data Is Not Available to Facilitate Adaptive Management

A gray whale has turned up dead near Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. It was first spotted Saturday night near the USS Ronald Reagan, then it couldn't be found Sunday morning — raising hope it might have swam away — but its body was later found nearby. Steve Jeffries, a marine mammal specialist with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, determined from a preliminary examination that it was a juvenile female gray whale about 28 to 30 feet long. The whale had old scars likely from an attack by an orca, Jeffries said, but there was no sign of recent trauma. The whale was emaciated and appears to have died of starvation, he said. Chris Henry reports. Dead gray whale found near PSNS

A new report from an environmental group says the federal government is moving too slowly in setting aside marine areas for environmental protection. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society was urging Ottawa to have a network of 12 protected sites by the end of 2012. In its report released Monday, the group says that while that didn't happen overall, progress is also too slow. Susan Lunn reports. Canada slow to protect marine areas, report argues  

On January 20, 1993, one of the strongest windstorms to strike Western Washington in the 20th Century rolled ashore that morning, bringing winds of 60-75 mph with some isolated gusts that were even stronger, including an 88 mph gust at the University of Washington. A registered gust of 70 mph at Boeing Field was the second-strongest gust there recorded in the past 60 years, According to Wolf Read's Storm King windstorm research site.  Six people died and over 600,000 people lost power, according to Historylink.org. Among those killed were a 19-year-old Lynnwood man who died when a tree fell on his car, and a 3-year-old Port Orchard boy who was killed by a falling tree. Scott Sistek reports. 20 years ago, the infamous Inauguration Day Windstorm struck  

A B.C. environmental group is promising a "firestorm" of protest if Port Metro Vancouver doesn't delay plans to ramp up the amount of coal moving through its terminals and hold more public consultations. The port is currently considering applications to expand two Metro Vancouver port terminals. One application would expand coal capacity at the Neptune Terminal in North Vancouver. The other proposal would create a new coal transfer facility at a terminal on the Fraser River in Surrey. But Dogwood Initiative executive director Will Horter says the port has failed to adequately consult with the public and has ignored opposition. Environmentalists vow to fight coal terminal expansion plans

Traffic was backed up at three major intersections in Mount Vernon. Bus routes stalled. Drivers waited almost an hour. This sounds like a scene from Skagit’s springtime Tulip Festival, when a torrent of tourists floods the valley with extra traffic. But this backup happened in December. A locked wheel had stalled a train on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks that run through the center of the city, said BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas. No injuries or collisions were reported from the incident. But with crossings blocked at West Fir Street, Riverside Drive and College Way, that locked wheel threw a wrench in plenty of people’s morning plans. Gina Cole reports. Coal trains: What is the impact?  And, Mark Stayton reports: Local considerations: Concerns voiced about coal traffic’s effect on area economy

Victoria’s neighbours to the south are applauding the capital region’s sewage treatment plans. Port Angeles Mayor Cherie Kidd said her city, and others in Washington that face Greater Victoria, have been keeping a close eye as their Canadian neighbour progresses toward treating its sewage. Kidd mailed a letter to the Capital Regional District’s sewage committee encouraging the CRD treatment project for its long-term environmental benefits. The letter was received this month. Rob Shaw reports. Port Angeles mayor praises capital region’s sewage-treatment plan

State officials have approved Port Orchard's Shoreline Master Program — provided the City Council can accommodate about a dozen changes. Ecology could not agree to industrial development over the water unless it was "water-dependent" or fits criteria to show that a dock or other structure is truly needed. The city had previously agreed to discourage, but not prohibit, such structures. Other issues involve wetland identification and regulations, the need to include properties recently annexed, and textual changes for clarification. Ecology agreed to "buffer averaging," in which a buffer may be wider in some places and narrower in others, but said the technique should not create an average buffer less than 75 percent of the standard buffer. The city had proposed a reduction of up to 50 percent. Chris Dunagan reports. Port Orchard shoreline plan nearly finished

For political activists concerned about global warming and the rising level of Puget Sound, a confluence of events last week at the state capital presented an opportunity too good to pass up. The start of 2013 legislative activities Monday coincided with one of the highest tides of the year – a 16.9-foot whopper that at 7:47 a.m. pushed salt water to the verge of parking lots at the head of Budd Inlet, within sight of the Capitol dome. Despite the evidence that sea levels are rising, jurisdictions throughout Puget Sound – including Pierce County and the Port of Tacoma – have been slow to react, paralyzed by the potential enormity of the problem and lingering doubts that scientists’ projections of dramatic tidal change really will take place. Rob Carson reports. As tides creep up, some just look away

It’s about 25 degrees on a clear Saturday morning when Greg Treinish gathers a small group of outdoor adventurers around him near the Duckabush River in the Olympic National Forest. Treinish is the executive director of Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation, a non-profit that puts volunteers to work gathering data for scientists around the world. The mission for this group: Help biologists figure out if there are any martens left in the Olympic National Forest. They’ll be setting up motion-activated cameras in some of the forest’s snowiest, most remote territory. The citizen scientists fill their packs with a strange assortment of gear, including chicken wire, hammers, folding saws and — wait for it — human-head-sized chunks of beaver carcass. Ashley Ahearn reports. Searching The Olympic Forest For The Elusive Marten

Biologists are gaining new information about the winter movements of endangered Puget Sound orcas by tracking the daily activities of one of them by a satellite tag. Since scientists attached a transmitter to a 21-year-old male orca named as Scoter two weeks ago, they’ve watched as he sprinted more than 1,000 miles – from the Seattle area to north of San Francisco before curiously reversing course over the weekend and heading north. “One thing that has struck us is it seems to be directed movement. They haven’t paused very long in one place,” said Brad Hanson, a wildlife biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Seattle who is leading the satellite tagging project. Phuong Le reports. Tag reveals winter movements of Puget Sound orcas

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PST MON JAN 21 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TODAY
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 15 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG IN THE MORNING.
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 15 SECONDS. AREAS
 OF FOG IN THE MORNING.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

6/28 Lege score, BC flood, Arctic drilling, Cherry Pt reserve, state beaches, POST, cruise ship air, Tsilhqot'in land, Samish Bay

Shell Oil drilling platform (AP/Elaine Thompson)

Do you know the score? Check out how your state legislator rates in Washington Conservation Voters' 2011-2012 Legislative Scorecard

As flood conditions improve in the province’s Interior, high water and a collection of derelict vessels on the swollen Fraser River continue to threaten communities in the Lower Mainland. As of late Wednesday, Transport Canada, the coast guard, the District of Mission and the provincial government had developed a plan to deal with the seven vessels, which include the 102-metre former B.C. ferry, the Queen of Sidney. Derelict vessels still a threat on Fraser

Listen up: As oil giant Royal Dutch Shell prepares to start drilling in the Arctic, environmentalists are stepping up their campaign to protect this natural resource. Greenpeace, the Yes Men, and Occupy activists recently carried out an elaborate hoax at Seattle's Space Needle which generated a buzz and drew attention to deepwater drilling safety. Now a Greenpeace ship is headed toward the Arctic to keep the pressure on Shell. Martha Baskin reports.  Greenpeace Heads to the Arctic While Shell Finalizes Preparations to Drill  

Our Man of the South Sound commented on yesterday’s NY Times story about Interior Secretary Salazar’s confidence in Shell Oil’s ability to clean up an Alaska drilling spill: “Huh?  Anybody else who believes any oil company can collect 90% of the oil spilled in a marine environment like Alaska please raise your hand!  Apparently Salazar wasn't paying attention to the Gulf spill.  And I am so glad they tested a spill containment device in Puget Sound, makes me feel so much better that it worked once in PS in a test, not on a spill or blow out.”

Seattle-based People for Puget Sound (PPS), through a grant from the Washington departments of natural resources (DNR) and fish and wildlife (WDFW), is spearheading an effort to create stewardship committees for five of the state’s seven aquatic reserves, including the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve just south of Birch Bay. PPS is partnering with RE Sources for Sustainable Communities in Bellingham to get the stewardship committee up and running. Group to organize committee for Cherry Point reserve

My favorite candidate in this year’s 42nd legislative district election took a look at the video of the orcas chasing dolphins in Hyacinthe Bay and had a much more benign commentary: “I like to think they were playing tag.”

Water quality at public marine beaches in Washington ranked 10th in 2011 among the 30 states with saltwater beach access, according to a national beach-pollution report released Wednesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council.  The state reported having 1,371 coastal beaches in 2011 but only had funding to regularly monitor 76 of the 200 more widely used beaches through a program administered by the state departments of Health and Ecology.  Water quality at state's beaches ranked 10th out of 30 in 2011  

The Vancouver Aquarium is shutting down a program used to monitor marine life on the west coast, citing lack of funding, including from the federal fisheries department. The Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking (POST) program has six ocean-based acoustic receiver lines and one in the Fraser River. Over the past 12 years, scientists have used the lines to track the movements of marine life fitted with transmitters along the west coast from central California to Prince William Sound, Alaska.  Vancouver Aquarium forced by lack of funds to disband marine life tracking program  

The cruise industry opposes international air-quality regulations that will come into effect in North America in August, write local environmental advocates Fred Felleman and Marcie Keever. They urge the industry and Congress to resist efforts to weaken the new rules.  Cruise industry should comply with new air-quality regulations

A fight over aboriginal title and rights that began when natives blockaded a logging road in the Chilcotin region of British Columbia 20 years ago appears headed for the Supreme Court of Canada.  The Tsilhqot’in First Nation, which represents six bands in central B.C., won partial victories when both the Supreme Court of B.C. and the Court of Appeal confirmed their traditional rights to use the land. But the decisions failed to give the Tsilhqot’in what they really want – a clear declaration that they hold aboriginal title over more than 4,000 square kilometres of land west of Williams Lake.  Aboriginal land rights upheld by B.C. Court of Appeal

Samish Bay was reopened to shellfish harvest Wednesday by the state Department of Health.  The shellfish beds had been closed as a precaution June 17 because of high river levels and the associated risk of pollution. Health officials closed the bay when unsatisfactory levels of fecal coliform, a type of bacteria present in human and animal waste, were detected in water samples.  Samish Bay reopened to shellfish harvest  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 239 AM PDT THU JUN 28 2012
TODAY
SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
S WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS. RAIN.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to: msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

6/19 Port Angeles, Enbridge, Laura James, PA garbage dump, OR reserves, Drayton Harbor, tsunami debris, Wild Olympics, Jolley property, BC Caspians, Rio+20

Conservation Hero Laura James (West Seattle Herald)

Happy birthday, Port Angeles. On June 19, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed an executive order establishing a military and naval reservation at the former Spanish location of Puerto de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles.  Happy 150th birthday today, Port Angeles!

If you like to watch: This anti-Enbridge pipeline video from Communities Against Super Tankers features some pretty sweet puppeteering, animation, and rapping.   Straight outta Haida Gwaii

West Seattle resident Laura James has been nominated as a Cox Conservation Hero. Votes for the finalist are being accepted at http://www.kirotv.com/s/heroes/ June 18 through July 16, 2012. If she wins, a $10,000 award will be given to her nonprofit of choice, Sustainable West Seattle. This past year, Laura organized a diving team that removed over 1,000 lbs of discarded marine and automotive batteries from a West Seattle scuba diving site. Diver and environmentalist Laura James nominated as Cox Conservation Hero

An eroding bluff is inching toward the edge of Port Angeles’ closed landfill, retreating at one point to just 11 feet away from spilling the old dump's rotting garbage 125 feet down into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. City Council members will consider the problem — and short- and long-term solutions that a consultant said could total up to $12 million — at their City Council meeting at 6 p.m. today at City Hall.  Old Port Angeles dump threatens to spill into Strait  

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has released rules for three new marine reserves on the Oregon Coast. The state Legislature approved the reserves at Cape Perpetua, Cascade Head, and Cape Falcon. The reserves will protect species like rockfish, shrimp, and sardines that live near the shore. A total fishing ban would apply in the core areas of the reserves. In other protected areas, the new rules would allow some salmon fishing and crabbing. Oregon Proposes Fishing Rules for Marine Reserves  

As students from Blaine Elementary School came face to face with fresh oysters on Drayton Harbor, the adults around them hoped they also were seeing the bigger picture.  The pollution that contaminates shellfish is invisible fecal coliform bacteria from thousands of small sources along creeks that feed into Drayton Harbor.  Fecal bacteria, found in the waste of humans, cows and dogs, comes from virtually everywhere in the 36,000-acre Drayton Harbor watershed, according to a new curriculum offered to the Blaine students by the Puget Sound Restoration Fund. Ralph Schwartz reports.  Blaine students learn about imperiled oyster farming in Drayton Harbor  

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire announced Monday a state plan to address tsunami debris that reaches the state’s coast from Japan but stressed that federal help is needed. Gregoire announced a “Clean Shoreline Initiative” to be led by state’s top emergency management leader, Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg, and to include the state Departments of Health, Ecology and other agencies.  Cleanup plan readied for tsunami junk    See also: Tsunami Debris That Washes Ashore Tested For Radiation  

A new poll released by the Wild Olympics campaign of 500 likely voters in the 6th Congressional District showed a strong support for the proposal. Nearly two out of three voters expressed approval for the Wild Olympics plan proposed by Rep. Norm Dicks and Sen. Patty Murray. 49% not only supported the proposal but also supported it “strongly.” 20% of the district voters polled said they were undecided. This shows that only 15% of those polled within the 6th District were in opposition to the plan.  New poll shows majority support of Wild Olympics  

The San Juan County Land Bank’s property acquisition of the Jolley property on the west side of Orcas, 20 waterfront acres on President's Channel near Turtlehead and Turtleback Mountain preserves, was officially and unanimously accepted by the county council. The county will receive a statutory warranty deed.  Land Bank acquires 20 acres on President's Channel

Caspian terns have established a breeding colony in B.C., and they’ve picked the roof of the Fraser Terminals warehouse near River Rock Casino in Richmond. Caspian terns create flutter in birding community as B.C.’s first breeding colony discovered in industrial Richmond

As Brazil welcomes nearly 120 heads of state and government for a summit on global development this week, the mood could not be more different than it was two decades ago, when global leaders gathered here for the landmark Earth Summit. Back then, once-arcane concerns about climate change and deforestation had finally grabbed the world's attention, leading to a global treaty on biodiversity and decisions that cleared the way for the Kyoto agreement on greenhouse gases.  Instead of clean energy, food, the oceans and other topics scheduled for debate at Rio+20, as the summit is known, political focus is attuned to a teetering Europe, turmoil in the Middle East and a presidential campaign in the United States.  Environment expectations low for Rio+20  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 234 AM PDT TUE JUN 19 2012
TODAY
S WIND 10 KT...BECOMING W 10 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 11 SECONDS. ISOLATED
 SHOWERS THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 11 SECONDS.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to: msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.  

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

6/15 Seattle sea wall, 'Scotch' broom, snakehead, Walker Park, Fauntleroy fish, Australia reserve

Seattle sea wall (WSDOT)

The Seattle City Council is considering a $290 million bond measure for the November ballot to replace the sea wall and rebuild two city-owned piers that extend from it. City engineers say the sea wall, which runs from South Washington Street to Broad Street, has been seriously eroded by bore worms and tides. Built more than 70 years ago, it wasn't designed to withstand a major earthquake.  Seattle's eroding sea wall is an underlying problem  

It looks harmless enough; that bold yellow-when-in-bloom shrub often seen along roadways does have a somewhat aesthetically pleasing look to it. At least from a distance.  or two avid recreationists — Harold Mead and Maggie Sullivan — their battle against Scotch broom is personal and they have gone to extreme lengths to eradicate what Washington state lists as a Class B noxious weed. The battle to sweep away the ‘broom’  

Michael Beakes filleted an exotic fish Thursday, not to serve for supper, but to serve science. The snakehead, with its eel-like body and piranha teeth, would make an unappetizing dish for many. Beakes is one of two Simon Fraser University researchers tasked with dissecting the predator caught in Burnaby's Central Park pond last week. Burnaby snakehead sliced open for science  

The Anderson Cove waterfront could be named after one of the city's most notable civil rights heroines. The Bremerton City Council will vote Wednesday on whether to name a waterside parcel at 19th Street and Taft Avenue the Lillian A. Walker Park.  There is some work to do before the site actually looks like a park.  Walker's name could grace Anderson Cove's waterfront park

Following last week’s report about May salmon releases involving 560 students visiting Fauntleroy Creek, steward Judy Pickens has news that a record number of coho smolts (“teenagers”) have been counted as they headed for saltwater.  West Seattle salmon: Fauntleroy’s record outbound coho

Australia has created the world's largest network of marine reserves and will restrict fishing as well as oil and gas exploration in a major step to safeguard the environment and access to food. With the expansion announced Thursday, Australia will protect 3.1 million square kilometers (1.2 million square miles) of ocean. The reserves will encompass a third of the island continent's territorial waters, which sustain more than 4,000 species of fish.  Australia creates largest area of marine reserves  

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 245 AM PDT FRI JUN 15 2012
TODAY
E WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 KT...BECOMING NE AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 17 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN EARLY... THEN RAIN LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SAT
E WIND 10 KT...BECOMING S 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. W SWELL 5 FT AT 17 SECONDS. RAIN.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT.
SUN
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 7 FT.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to: msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate
http://salishseanews.blogspot.com/

Follow on Twitter.  http://twitter.com/#!/savepugetsound/

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told
http://salishseacommunications.blogspot.com/2011/10/salish-sea-communications-truth-well.html

5/29 Penn Cove, snakehead fish, Fisheries Act, low oxygen, sea snails, marine reserves

Paddle to Seattle @VFOF

If you like to watch: The derelict vessel Deep Sea, which sank off Puget Sound’s Whidbey Island, continues to leak oil as the Washington Department of Ecology prepares to lift it from the water this week. Video Captures Oil Spill As Divers Prepare To Lift Derelict Vessel

If you like to watch: An amateur wildlife filmmaker has again videotaped a snakehead fish in Burnaby Lake, days after it eluded provincial officials. Burnaby snakehead caught on film by amateur filmmaker (with video)  

If you like to watch: On June 8th and 9th, the Vancouver Festival of Ocean Films shows 10 amazing films focused on the beauty of our oceans, and some of the threats to its health.  During 3 screenings, filmgoers will have the chance to see films from Canada, Ireland, Spain, and the United States. Check it out here.

In a rare show of solidarity across party lines, four former federal fisheries ministers – two Conservatives and two Liberals – are speaking out against proposed legislative changes they say will lead to irreparable damage to fish habitat. Under the amendments, the Fisheries Act will shift its focus to protect only fish that support commercial, recreational or aboriginal fisheries. At the same time, some federal responsibilities will be offloaded to the provinces. Four former ministers protest ‘taking the guts out’ of Fisheries Act  

International scientists are looking to Saanich Inlet research to help shape a global response to the rapidly growing problem of low oxygen in large areas of ocean.  Research in Saanich Inlet shows species such as tiny shrimp, squat lobsters and small flat fish can live with remarkably little oxygen. Commercial species such as spot prawns and sole cannot survive in low oxygen.  Scientists study inlet's low oxygen

A team of U.S. and Australian scientists using a manned submersible to study the rare organisms that live around nutrient-rich hydrothermal vents on the Pacific Ocean floor inadvertently transported a species of sea snail more than 600 kilometres north, from a site off the U.S. coast to a new habitat at a deep-sea vent near Vancouver Island — potentially introducing the kind of alien invader that biologists typically battle against to protect the integrity of ecosystems.  Stowaway snails surprise scientists at Pacific deep-sea hydrothermal vents near Vancouver Island  

Researchers reporting online on May 24 in the Cell Press journal Current Biology present the first evidence that areas closed to all fishing are helping to sustain valuable Australian fisheries. The international team of scientists applied a forensic DNA profiling approach to track the dispersal pathways of fish larvae throughout a network of marine reserves on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.  DNA Evidence Shows That Marine Reserves Help to Sustain Fisheries  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PDT TUE MAY 29 2012
TODAY
W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to: msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

4/20 Whale breath, oil sickness, BC spill centre, BP, Elwha mud, Northern Marine, Nooksack kill, Coquitlam Reservoir, Cypress restoration, rockfish MPA

New blog: Our lives are global when we least expect them to be. Travel Notes: Islands in the Salish Sea in Brussels

Celebrate Earth Day weekend at Welcome the Whale Days by hearing Dr. Bruce Mate speaks about Varvara and other Western Pacific Gray whales on Saturday at 3 PM in Langley, Whidbey Island OMG - Whales text their BFFs!  

New research shows that killer whales are inhaling bacteria, fungi and viruses once believed to be found only on land. Some of the pathogens are highly virulent. And some are even antibiotic-resistant.  Killer whales facing an airborne threat  

Open sores. Parasitic infections. Chewed-up-looking fins. Gashes. Mysterious black streaks. Two years after the drilling-rig explosion that touched off the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, scientists are beginning to suspect that fish in the Gulf of Mexico are suffering the effects of the petroleum.  2 years later, fish sick near BP oil spill site  

The federal government is closing B.C.'s command centre for emergency oil spills at a time when the province is facing two possible pipeline projects and a potential spike in tanker traffic in West Coast waterways. Ottawa has said it will shut down B.C.'s regional office for emergency oil-spill responders, located in Vancouver, and centralize operations in Quebec in the wake of the cost-cutting March 29 federal budget.  Oil-spill centre moving out of B.C.  

BP Cherry Point is a few weeks away from returning to normal refining operations, but don't expect to see much change at the gas pump. More than 3,000 contract workers have been at the refinery doing annual maintenance work as well as dealing with the aftermath of the Feb. 17 fire in the crude vacuum unit.  BP Cherry Point closer to resuming normal operations after fire, annual turnaround  

The sediment behind the Elwah dams is one of the factors that makes the $325 million Elwha restoration the largest dam removal project ever anywhere, with some 24 million cubic yards of sediment to manage. Much of the material will remain behind in the watershed, distributed along the river's middle and lower run. But a lot of it is also rinsing out to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, where it is expected the material will help rebuild the near shore and beaches eroded to ankle-turning cobble. Here it comes: sediment starts to really hit the Elwha  


The Washington State Department of Ecology issued a $48,000 fine to an Anacortes yacht builder recently, citing failure to properly label and dispose of hazardous material for three consecutive inspections over an eight-month period.  Northern Marine fined $48,000  

Officials are looking for anyone with information about a spill that may have caused a sudden die-off of young salmon in the Nooksack River Tuesday. Lummi Natural Resources Department staff reported 11 dead Chinook salmon smolts and more than 100 dead pink and chum salmon in a smolt trap at Hovander Park. Officials seek tips on Nooksack River spill that killed young salmon 


Metro Vancouver is hoping to head off proposed federal government water-quality standards that it says could force Lower Mainland residents to pay $300 million to build what officials say is an unnecessary filtration system at its Coquitlam Reservoir. “It’s all very well for the federal government to set these high standards as it doesn’t cost them anything. We are the ones who will have to pay,” said North Vancouver City Mayor Darrell Mussatto. Metro Vancouver wants federal government to back off on water quality demands  

The state’s final construction budget includes $535,000 for restoration work on Cypress Island, west of Anacortes. Part of the grant will restore the Secret Harbor estuary, enhance public access and increase capacity for tourism and low-impact public uses.  Cypress Island receives money for restoration  

If you like to watch: How big do marine reserves need to be to protect resident rockfish for their entire lives? Oregon State University graduate student Tom Calvanese is tracking six species of rockfish. He captured 30 different fish inside the reserve and inserted acoustic tags into them. He set receivers inside the reserve and along the reserve boundaries. And for about a year now he’s been collecting data from the receivers that show how much time the fish spend inside and outside of the reserve. Watch the results of Tom's research: Inside A Marine Reserve: Adopt A Rockfish And See If It’s Protected  

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI APR 20 2012
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING NW 10 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY THIS MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W SWELL 10 FT AT 11 SECONDS. NW WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT.
SAT
SW WIND 10 KT...BECOMING SE IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 10 SECONDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
SAT NIGHT
SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 6 FT.
SUN
SE WIND 10 KT EARLY...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to: msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.  

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

2/23 Sea lion deaths, cougar diet, Octopus Week, deer cull, geese cull, spill rules, porous pavements, Port Orchard, OR reserves, John's fish book

PHOTO: Vancouver Sun

A West Coast salmon farm has been charged in the drowning deaths of sea lions and seals that became entangled in nets surrounding fish pens. Grieg Seafood BC Ltd., which operates 21 farms on the British Columbia coast, is charged with violating the Fisheries Act at three different locations. Fish farm operator charged over dozens of seal, sea lion deaths

Researchers in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve found in examining cougar scat that deer comprised only a quarter of the cougars’ diet in the park, and that an unlikely smattering of other animals — notably harbour seals and even sea lions — comprised the remainder. “....[D]eer is not the primary prey species,” said Danielle Thompson, park resource management specialist. “It’s a secondary prey item and raccoons are actually No. 1.” Scientists unlock mysteries of the cougar diet

Octopus activities continue at the Aquarium on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. See divers with octopuses at noon and feeding at 4 p.m. daily.  Octopus Week winds up at the Seattle Aquarium

A greater Victoria citizens advisory committee will be set up to gather information on all ways to deal with deer in the region and will be asked to make finding options for agricultural communities its first priority. Three farmers will be on the 12-member advisory committee that will examine the issue, which is causing concern in most of the region's 13 municipalities. Citizens committee on deer backed at CRD meeting

Meanwhile, the Guardians of Mid-Island Estuaries, a group of retired biologists and other scientists, is asking the Parksville city council to increase their three-year funding from $3,000 to $25,000 to address the destruction they believe is being done by Canada geese on local estuary habitat. Funding boost may lead to Parksville geese cull

If you like to watch: The state Department of Ecology is required by a new law passed last year to enhance the state oil spill contingency plan rule by December. The plan is expected to ensure that the state can mount an aggressive, rapid and well-coordinated response in the event of a major oil spill in state waters. An advisory committee begins meeting today from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM in Lacey. Watch on the web here. Informal public comment taken on first draft of new oil spill rule

Lisa Stiffler at Sightlines reports on how stormwater engineers in Gresham OR and Issaquah WA are using permeable pavement -- porous asphalt and pervious concrete-- to help shrink and clean polluted stormwater runoff. The pavement is safer for drivers because it reduces hydroplaning and the glare from wet pavement, and it can save money by eliminating the need for traditional, costly stormwater pipes and retention ponds or vaults. Surprisingly Ambitious Permeable Projects

Port of Bremerton and the city of Port Orchard leaders have come to share a vision to transform the Port Orchard waterfront from a glorified parking lot to a showcase for visitors, with multiple points to get to the beach, to admire the view, and to live and shop. Less parking, more green space envisioned for Port Orchard waterfront

Kudos to the Oregon state House for overwhelmingly approving the bill to expand Oregon's system of marine reserves and to research how they may help better manage commercial fisheries. The vote sends Senate Bill 1510 to the governor, who said he would sign it. Funded by $1.6 million in lottery money, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will spend two years gathering baseline data on marine populations, as well as social and economic impacts on coastal communities, before restrictions go into effect. Ore. Senate Oks bill creating new marine reserves

Wait’s over: A new edition of "John's fishin' book" is out. That’s the Saltwater Fishing Journal, by local tackle shop owner and piscatorial guru John Martinis, owner of John's Sporting Goods in Everett who has spent decades fishing and boating Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.  Saltwater Journal a must for local anglers

Finally, from ScienceDaily: The more afraid a person is of a spider, the bigger that individual perceives the spider to be, new research suggests. BTW, you can enlarge the photo of the spider in the story. If You're Afraid of Spiders, They Seem Bigger: Phobia's Effect On Perception of Feared Object Allows Fear to Persist

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PST THU FEB 23 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT
TODAY
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT EASING TO 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT SUBSIDING TO 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 13 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W SWELL 10 FT AT 12 SECONDS. S WIND 5 TO 15 KT RISING TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT BUILDING TO 3 FT. RAIN.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.  

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told